Live Free or Die: Down & Dirty

Five individuals leave their mainstream lives behind to face the challenges of life in the wild.

Latest episodes

aired 221 days ago

Thorn builds a root cellar to prevent another bear ambush; a falling rafter nearly derails Colbert'ss effort to finish his cabin roof; Tony and Amelia create a pulley system to keep their garden alive; Derick invents a water filter system.

aired 221 days ago

The primitives befriend animals to make life a little better in the wild; Derik reunites with his mules; Thorn builds a goat pen; Tony and Amelia hope raising chickens will provide them with nourishment and a source of income.

aired 221 days ago

Thorn spear-hunts frogs; Colbert sets out to kill a deer before winter comes; Tony and Amelia boil seawater to get the salt they need to preserve fresh meat; Matt goes turkey hunting.

aired 221 days ago

Desert nomad Tobias walks miles to find a new source of water; Thorn builds a boat to go beaver hunting; when Colbert's canoe springs a leak he has to build a new one from forest materials.

aired 221 days ago

Frontiersman Colbert puts his nephew to work in the wild; Amelia's father teaches his homesteader daughter and son-in-law how to turkey hunt; woodsman Thorn shows his daughter how to use a bow and arrow.

aired 221 days ago

Gabriel takes part in a Native American rain prayer drum circle; Thorn concocts a medicinal remedy from plants; Colbert attends a Mountain Man Rendezvous so he can sell pelts for a bit of cash; Tony uses a pig carcass to make a necklace for Amelia.

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Money and goods mean nothing to the people in "Live Free or Die." The series depicts a trend called "rewilding" -- the undomestication of humans -- and follows those who've rejected a mainstream existence to live off the land, in simple homes without electricity or running water. Being self-sufficient is a constant challenge, as obstacles like brutal weather and depleted food stocks require quick, innovative solutions. Modern pioneers include Colbert, a former financial adviser now living in a Georgia swamp; Gabriel, whose California lifestyle alternates between the mountains and the sea; and Tony and Amelia, who turned a hillside in the Blue Ridge Mountains into a garden.

Making a job site as safe as possible is the work of Cory Valdes, Jason Lesmeister, Rob Hardy and Puma Ghostwalker. Under normal circumstances the profession poses inherent risks, but the conditions these guys encounter are anything but normal. Valdes, Lesmeister, Hardy and Ghostwalker are experienced outdoorsmen and trackers who traverse the world's most remote places to protect the lives of wildlife photographers, fishermen, loggers, farmers and others working in the backyards of nature's fiercest predators. Keeping the peace between man and wolves, black bears, alligators and wild boars represents just another day at the office on "The Savage Line."

Discovery Channel takes the ubiquitous survival show theme to the next level by stripping it to its bare essentials. In "Naked and Afraid," complete strangers -- usually a man and a woman -- meet in a very unique way: They're stranded in a dangerous, desolate location, without food or water, and they're completely naked. Each episode follows the adventurers as they attempt to survive on their own with nothing but a personal item and the knowledge that the only prize is their pride and sense of accomplishment. Because there is no other choice, competitors quickly get to know one another -- and their surroundings -- and hope that their instincts, survival skills and intestinal fortitude serve them well.

Wilderness guide and survival instructor Hazen Audel attempts to stay alive in some of the world's most inhospitable places by using centuries-old techniques. Hazen joins tribes in the rainforests of Ecuador, the Kalahari Desert of Namibia, the mountains of western Mongolia, the frozen Arctic of Canada, in equatorial Kenya, and on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean to learn the skills firsthand. He hunts with bows and poisoned arrows, climbs harsh mountains in search of prey, and harvests food beneath shifting sea ice, among other challenges that push him to his limits.

Back to the beautiful state of Alaska for another reality-documentary series, this one set in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area home to thousands of native animals... and a handful of people. In 1980, the U.S. government banned human occupation in the refuge, and only residents in seven permitted cabins are allowed to remain. The series depicts the daily rituals of four families living in isolation and contending with bitter weather, frustrating setbacks, and aggressive wildlife in an unspoiled and unforgiving wilderness. The nonconformists include Heimo Korth, the "godfather of the final frontier," and wife Edna; Bob Harte, who has spent 40 years living by his own rules; and young couple Bob and Ashley Selden, who admit that they've survived by trial and error, learning day by day the harsh reality of frontier living.

Extreme survivalists go head to head in a race across the Alaska wild. Using ingenuity, experience and just the gear they can carry in their packs, the participants have 60 hours to reach the finish point of each leg of the adventure -- the series features 13 legs -- and in addition to navigating treacherous glaciated river valleys, barren ridgelines, and high mountain peaks, the challengers battle hunger, dangerous predators and unpredictable weather. There is no grand prize awaiting each leg's winner, other than the pride of accomplishing a grueling feat. For season three, the 12 competitors are divided equally into four teams -- Military, Endurance, Alaskans and Lower 48.

Tanana, Alaska, is like the Pacific Northwest's version of Hotel California: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Well, not exactly, but describing the town as remote is akin to saying the winters are chilly. Located at the junction of the Tanana and Yukon rivers deep in the state's interior, the town has no roads in or out, and for its 200-plus residents, survival in the winter is a daily challenge. "Yukon Men" unveils the people of Tanana, who struggle to find food, heat their homes, and ward off predators. But they stick together, a bond that helps them overcome the harsh conditions.